Having been both a student of Art
and French during my years at William Jewell, I had my hands full. Time was
spent dividing my attention between both subjects as I sped across the quad from
labs to studio classes day in and day out. My head was constantly spinning and my plate
was more than full, but I was grateful for every minute. At Jewell I was able
to pursue what I loved as I progressively developed and worked toward my
post-graduation dream of utilizing my French and knowledge of art. Now after
graduating, I have found myself exactly where I want to be. I have traded in
classrooms and studios for galleries displaying countless exquisite
masterpieces. It is no longer Jewell Hall, but Kirkwood Hall that I stroll
through as I carry out my responsibilities as a French Catalogue Research
Assistant at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.
As a student at Jewell I was
fortunate enough to begin an invaluable friendship with the Associate Curator
of European Art and Sculpture at the Nelson-Atkins. Now, as an intern, I work
as a part of a small team to complete the French Paintings Catalogue. The
museum undertook this complex and detailed project relatively recently, and due
to the expansive collection of French art, it will take several years to
complete. The nature of the catalogue is to document every single thing we know
about a piece of art within the collection. This entails provenance research,
conservation, exhibition history, and bibliographical references. The list goes
on. My primary focus on this project is to track down and document all
bibliographical references made to any one of the French paintings in the
collection. As a result, I make an effort to acquaint myself with the artist
and the painting on which I am carrying out research. Truth be told, it’s a lot
like detective work in the art world. In the end result, once our team is able
to gather all the information we can about the pieces in our collection, these
findings will be published.
So what’s the next step? What
started during my time at Jewell now continues with my work at the
Nelson-Atkins. As I work toward realizing my dream, I plan on obtaining an MA specializing
in seventeenth to nineteenth century French and British art. Eventually, I hope
to return to Europe and look after a collection based in a prominent European museum.
Until then, it’s one step at a time, beginning with the French Paintings
Catalogue.
Even art scholars know how to have
a good laugh. Here is a snapshot of the Nelson-Atkins European Department’s
award winning attempt at portraying Rodin’s Burghers
of Calais for the museum’s 2012 Halloween costume celebration in honor of the
recent Rodin exhibition.
 |
| A portrayal of Rodin's Burghers of Calais |
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